Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Indianapolis, IN
Issued by NWS Indianapolis, IN
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432 FXUS63 KIND 021746 AFDIND Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Indianapolis IN 1246 PM EST Tue Dec 2 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Areas of freezing fog tonight, potentially locally dense in spots. - Light snow is possible Wednesday night. - Wind chills around zero will be across northern areas early Thursday and again Thursday night. - Light snow is again possible Sunday. && .FORECAST UPDATE... Issued at 937 AM EST Tue Dec 2 2025 Cloudy and cold conditions across central Indiana this morning in the wake of the snow overnight. 3 to 5 inches of snow was common across much of the central part of the forecast area with a localized maxima of 5 to 6+ inches over northern Shelby into Rush Counties where heavier snow bands lingered longer. Temps this morning were in the 20s with northwest winds at 5-10mph. Quiet weather expected for the rest of the day as a surface ridge pokes into the region. However with moisture remaining trapped beneath a boundary layer inversion...expecting little in the way of any thinning of the stratus deck through late day. Temperatures are also likely to move little with the clouds holding firm. Expect most locations will remain in the mid and upper 20s. Zone and grid updates out. && .SHORT TERM (Today and tonight)... Issued at 302 AM EST Tue Dec 2 2025 Latest KIND radar imagery depicts snow ongoing across central Indiana with the most widespread coverage across the southeast half of the area. Visibility reductions as low as 1/4 to 3/4 of a mile have been observed with an organized band moving eastward across south-central Indiana. Strong frontogenetical forcing is promoting this heavier band which will continue to shift eastward over the next few hours. Expect generally 1-2 inches of additional snowfall across the southeast half of central Indiana with lower amounts towards the north and west. Locally higher amounts up to 3 inches cannot be ruled out over far southeastern counties where snow will persist for a longer duration. Look for snow to end shortly near far W/NW portions of central IN as mid-upper level forcing from the associated wave shifts east. Deeper moisture will also shift east while drier air filters in aloft. Snow will then taper off west to east through the early morning hours with all of central Indiana in the clear by about 6am. Model guidance depicts increasing heights aloft and surface high pressure building through the day. This should help keep a low stratus deck in place during much of the day and possibly well into the overnight for a large part of the area. There is growing confidence in areas of freezing fog developing tonight with increasing warm air advection over a healthy early December snowpack. Most high resolution guidance also depicts fog developing this evening and continuing through much of the overnight. Diurnal temperature swings will be greatly limited by the lingering low stratus deck and near surface moisture. Look for highs in the mid 20s to near 30F today. Lows should range from the mid teens to near 20F. Wind chills in the single digits are possible over north-central Indiana tonight. && .LONG TERM (Wednesday through Monday)... Issued at 302 AM EST Tue Dec 2 2025 Wednesday... Some fog may linger Wednesday morning. Otherwise, quiet weather can be expected with high pressure influencing the area. Warm advection ahead of an approaching cold front may be able to boost temperature into the 30s. Wednesday night into Thursday... A potent cold front will move through the area Wednesday night. While the front won`t have a lot of moisture to work with, the strength of the cold air moving in will likely squeeze out some snow showers. Wouldn`t be surprised to see some areas pick up a couple of tenths of snow. By daybreak Thursday, single digit temperatures will be in the far northwest, with wind chills below zero there. Clouds will decrease on Thursday as much drier air moves in, but thanks to strong cold advection, temperatures will only rebound into the teens northwest and middle 20s southeast. Winds will diminish as the day progresses with high pressure moving in. Friday and Saturday... Some weak upper waves will move through, but there won`t be enough forcing or moisture for any precipitation. Lows early Friday morning will see lows in the single digits across much of the area, but readings may warm some by daybreak Friday with warm advection. Highs by Saturday will have rebounded back into the upper 20s to middle and upper 30s. Saturday night into Sunday night... An upper trough and low pressure system may bring precipitation to central Indiana. Confidence is low in specifics with timing and strength differences between model guidance. Will keep some low PoPs around during this period, but PoPs may rise with later forecasts if timing and strength become more apparent. Temperatures will remain below normal. Monday and beyond... For now Monday looks quiet with high pressure moving in, but precipitation chances return around Tuesday with another low pressure system moving in. Uncertainty here remains high with differences in the low pressure strength. Precipitation could be rain or snow depending on the strength and path of the system. && .AVIATION (18Z TAF Issuance)... Issued at 1246 PM EST Tue Dec 2 2025 Impacts: - Slow improvement to MVFR this afternoon, then deteriorating cigs and vis overnight - Advection fog likely tonight with IFR or worse visibilities possible Discussion: Satellite imagery shows low stratus hanging tight across Indiana with only a slow improvement to low MVFR cigs through the rest of the afternoon. Westerly winds at or below 10 kts this afternoon becoming southerly overnight at or below 6 kts. Warmer air over the new snowpack should result in lowering stratus overnight to IFR levels in addition to advection fog. Confidence is lower on where fog will be the worst; however thinking KLAF, KHUF, and KBMG have the best chance at seeing brief periods of LIFR cigs and vis from fog within the 03-12z timeframe. Southerly winds should help mix out the lower stratus and fog late tomorrow morning, so have conditions beginning to improve from 14- 16z to at least MVFR levels. Cigs may even improve to VFR by tomorrow afternoon ahead of the next frontal system approaching. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ UPDATE...Ryan SHORT TERM...Melo LONG TERM...50 AVIATION...CM